


Peas in a Merry Pod

by VTR



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Christmas, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 00:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17151692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VTR/pseuds/VTR
Summary: Mari is Santa Claus confirmed





	Peas in a Merry Pod

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YuriSenpai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuriSenpai/gifts).



> Merry Christmas Banana chan, you are excellent, thanks for dropping sunshine in my inbox always.
> 
> hope u like this fluff, i forgot what i wanted to do with it partway through so i had to wing it but i was determined to get it to you

Kanan’s house was nothing at all like Mari’s house. Kanan’s house was small, and with very little lavish – quite the contrast to the Ohara family’s incredible hotel lifestyle – and yet the view of the sea was every bit as lovely. It’d taken literal weeks of begging and pleading on Mari’s part before her parents at last relented and allowed her to spend the night with Kanan, and now that the long-awaited night was finally here, Mari was just pleased as a peach!

They’d spent the whole chilly morning scouring the forest for unique and interesting sticks and stones with Dia, and then the whole afternoon playing with them on the beach. When the sun eventually began to set – and it set so quickly in the winter months – Mari didn’t even have to whine or worry about separating from her friends for the evening, as the three of them all went back to Kanan’s house together! Even her dirtied dress was no great issue; Kanan’s kindly grandpa offered to wash it for her to take home tomorrow.

Now, dressed in their warm nighties and with their bellies full of Grandpa’s cooking, the friends settled down in Kanan’s cozy little bed together. It was a tight fit for sure, as it wasn’t really a bed suited for three people, but the girls were still small, and Kanan loved close contact, anyway.

“What do you think Santa’s gonna bring you this year?” Mari asked innocently, and was met with only a confused stare from Kanan.

“Santa?” the other girl echoed. “I thought Santa was just a character.”

Mari was incredibly offended at that, and Dia looked on the verge of tears. Kanan thought she was simply stating the facts, but it seemed Santa Claus was a touchy subject amongst her friends.

“He’s not a character!” Mari insisted. “He’s real! Doesn’t he bring you presents on Christmas?”

“He brings _me_ presents on Christmas,” Dia said. “Ruby, too!”

To say Kanan was flabbergasted was an understatement. Either her friends were that incredibly gullible as to fall for such a fantastical thing as the Santa legend, or Santa actually _was_ real, and Kanan was just so naughty that the man didn’t even deem her worthy of coal. Now, Kanan considered herself a very good girl (for whatever that was worth coming from the child herself), and was quite certain that if Santa was real at all, he would surely recognize her exceptional behavior.

“Santa sees _everything_ you do, Kanan,” Dia said. “Are you sure you’re not just doing bad things when no one is looking? Because Santa can still see you even if no one else can, and he’ll put you on the naughty list.”

“How would he be able to see me?” Kanan demanded. “And I don’t do anything bad! I think you’re just tricking me, Dia.”

“But it’s true!” Mari said. “Santa’s magic, you know. But I don’t think you’re naughty, Kanan! Maybe he doesn’t visit because… Maybe he doesn’t know where you live?”

Kanan was still not convinced. “But if he’s magic, and he sees everyone, then he’d already know where I live. Right?”

That one stumped both believers. Perhaps Kanan really was secretly naughty, or Santa had some sort of long-held grudge against her (though exactly what sort of grudge a magical, immortal old man could possibly hold against a mere child, none of them knew). Kanan’s logic was sound for sure, but neither Mari nor Dia were willing to budge an inch on the possibility of Santa’s existence.

“Why don’t we just write Santa a letter?” Mari suggested. “Maybe he just forgot you were here, so we can remind him!”

Kanan wasn’t quite all on board, but she supposed there was no harm in writing a simple letter. After all, if Santa really did exist, he’d receive the letter and maybe start stopping by on Christmas Eve. And if Kanan turned out to be correct in assuming that he was only a story, then there was no harm done, and she could bask in her rightness.

They found a scrap of paper and some pencils in Kanan’s desk, and Dia, who was determined to have the best spelling ability and the neatest handwriting, wrote out the message as dictated to her by Mari.

_Dear Santa_ , it read, _We wanted to make sure you didn’t forget Kanan this year. She’s been very good all year, so please bring her some toys if you can. Thank you Santa! Love, Mari and Dia and Kanan_

They read over the note a few times, and once they were satisfied, they folded it up and sealed it with a sticker (a red crab, as red was more than likely Santa’s favorite color).

“I’ll give the letter to Papa tomorrow,” Mari said once they were all cozy back in Kanan’s bed and with the lights switched off once more. “He has Santa’s address, so he can send it to him.”

“Soon you’ll see that Santa _does_ exist, Kanan,” Dia said. “You’ll see the presents on Christmas, and you’ll know!”

“We’ll see about that,” Kanan replied. “I mean, I really hope he’s real! That would be so fun! But I dunno…”

The girls continued to bicker and giggle about Santa Claus and all manner of other little-girl topics, completely oblivious to the high-pitched racket they were making until Grandpa peered into the room. He meant to chastise them for being so noisy at such an hour, but the sight of them packed so tight and snug in the too-small bed was adorably sweet, and he smiled instead.

“You girls are just like three little peas in a pod, aren’t you?” he said.

“Or bananas in a bunch!” Kanan said, and her friends giggled.

“Alright, alright, it’s time to settle down now,” Grandpa said, and placed a finger to his lips for emphasis. “There’ll be plenty of time to play tomorrow! Get some sleep.”

The children obeyed, at least to a degree. They made sure to cut back on the noise, but they still whispered excitedly and choked back their quiet laughter until at last their eyelids grew too heavy to keep open, and sleep took them one by one.

 

When Christmas finally came, Mari was astounded, as always, at Santa’s generosity. The Ohara family’s massive Christmas tree, which Mari had so lovingly decorated with colorful ornaments and lights that flashed in dazzling patterns, now sported dozens of candy canes and a glittering golden garland. Beneath the tree were mounds of gifts all addressed to Mari, but before she tore into them, she checked the end table, where she’d left her offering of milk and cookies, and was delighted to find only crumbs remaining alongside an empty glass.

“Thank you, Santa!” Mari cried, certain he’d be able to hear her with his all-knowing ways.

Mari quickly found herself the proud owner of all the hottest toys of the season, a brand-new video game system, more clothes than she could possibly wear before she outgrew them, and, according to a letter from Santa, a pony! Mari decided then that she’d take Kanan out to the ranch with her to see her new pony, and if Kanan was still having doubts about Santa’s existence, they’d surely be wiped away!

“I think there’s one last present back there, love,” Papa said. “Why don’t you bring it out?”

Mari got down on her hands and knees and peered under the tree, and sure enough, there was one last box wedged in the corner, and, thanks to the size of the tree, Mari actually had to crawl underneath to retrieve it. When she at last returned to the open with her prize, she was both shocked and delighted to see that the present was not addressed to herself, but to Kanan!

“Papa, this is a present for Kanan!” she very excitedly informed her father. “Santa must have gotten our letter! Can we take this present to Kanan, Papa? Pleeease?”

There was a merry glint in Papa’s eye that Mari didn’t quite catch, and he agreed to drive Mari over to Kanan’s house to deliver the gift. Mari spent the entire car ride admiring the way the shiny green wrapping paper caught the sunlight, and occasionally shifting or shaking the box to try and puzzle out what was inside. Her only hints were the soft thumps of the object hitting the insides of the box, and that wasn’t much to go on.

When they at last arrived at Kanan’s house, Mari could barely contain her excitement. After all, she held in her hands Kanan’s very own present from Santa – proof that the jolly old elf really was out there, watching, and ready to dish out rewards to all the good little boys and girls of the world. Kanan was still in her pajamas and rubbing at her eyes when they came, but she greeted her close friend with a hug just the same.

“Hi, Mari!” she said. “What are you doing here so early? Is that a present?”

Mari deposited the gift into her surprised friend’s arms. “It’s a present for you!” she said. “Santa left it under my tree! He must’ve gotten our letter! Come on, open it, open it!”

Kanan stared in shock at the gift before her. She was hardly disappointed when she woke up to find no gifts left for her; honestly, it was the outcome she expected, as Santa Claus _was_ only a story, and she’d get presents from Grandpa and the rest of her family when the new year came, anyway. But this – this glossy green beauty of a gift – was a genuine surprise, and Kanan tore into it with delight.

“There’s a note!” Mari cried when the box came open. “Read it, read it! It’s a note from Santa! Oh, Dia’s gonna be so excited!”

Kanan unfolded the note, and found Santa’s tidy handwriting inside. “Dear Kanan,” she read aloud, “Thank you for writing to me. I hope this present brightens up your Christmas, and I hope you will write again next year! From Santa Claus.”

The girls pulled the tissue paper away, at last unveiling the gift inside. Kanan lifted the darling stuffed dolphin up into her arms, reveling in the feel of the plush blue fabric, and Mari squealed. Kanan, little skeptic that she was, had a sneaking suspicion that Mari was playing a trick on her, perhaps in an attempt to make her feel better about Santa, and it was such a heart-meltingly sweet trick that she just had to forgive her. She pulled her bouncing friend into a hug, with the dolphin pressed snug between them.

“Thank you, Mari!” Kanan said. “I love Dolphy so much.”

“Thank Santa, he’s the one who gave it to you!” was Mari’s reply.

Whether or not that was really true didn’t much matter to Kanan, who was happy just to spend the holiday with her best friend.

 

Dolphy remained unchallenged for his place on Kanan’s bed for many, many years, and thus many, many Christmases. The hardest years of all were the ones during which Kanan and her companions were separated, and Kanan, though she might not have admitted it, spent many a lonesome night with Dolphy cuddled close while she fantasized about their eventual reunion. Phone calls and video chats and sparse visits held her over until at last the day arrived when they came together again for good.

It was strange how grown up they seemed now, supporting each other and maintaining their apartment as working adults, and Kanan sometimes had to stop to marvel at the women they were becoming. Were they not roaming the neighborhood and playing in the waves just days ago? One thing that _had_ remained consistent, at least, was Mari’s passion for Christmas. This particular Christmas was their first spent living together, and Mari had the tiny living space all done up in lights and glitter and tinsel, much to the annoyance of Dia, who had to sweep up the festive debris every evening.

“Aren’t you coming to bed?” Kanan asked as she stepped into the kitchen and found Mari there, peeking into the oven to make sure her cookies were still good.

“The cookies are almost done,” Mari said. “Oh, but I’ve still got a few more presents to wrap, and then…”

Kanan only shook her head. It was after midnight already, and if Mari didn’t wind down soon, she’d be up all night and into the morning. Kanan crossed the room and placed a hand on Mari’s lower back, as well as a gentle kiss to her cheek, in hopes of making the invitation to bed a little more enticing.

“Come lay down,” Kanan insisted. “I told you you should have wrapped all the gifts before. It’s almost two in the morning, Mari, so just come sleep. We’ll have time in the morning to finish up before we head to Chika’s.”

Mari pouted a little, but still pressed her body closer to her partner’s, until their sides were touching. “I’ll come to bed once the cookies are out,” she said. “But you have to stay with me until then!”

Kanan was well-versed in Mari’s favorite time-passing game – that is, kissing and touching to the point of no return, or at least to the point that their prior obligations forced them to separate – and she was happy to play it tonight. Playful pecks very quickly paved the way for more desperate sorts of touches, and Kanan was getting rather wound up herself now, but Mari stopped her when her hands began to trail dangerously low.

“Ah-ah-ah, Kanan-chan,” Mari said, and waggled her finger at her lover. “Acting like that on Christmas Eve is enough to get you put on the naughty list, for sure!”

Kanan pressed Mari back against the kitchen counter, careless that Santa’s watchful eyes were surely upon them. “You’re one to talk, Mari.”

An unpleasant smell drew them out of their game, and Mari sprang out of Kanan’s arms, threw on her oven mitts, and yanked the cookies out of the oven. It was too late for the poor little treats now, as their bottoms were blackened and their gooey goodness replaced with an unfortunate crunch. Mari groaned aloud at the sight and smell of them.

“These were for the party tomorrow!” she cried.

Kanan frowned at the sorry cookies. “We’ll just have to go without,” she said. “It’s too late to make any more. _Please_ come to bed?” Kanan admittedly would have liked to stay up a bit longer to continue their little passion game, but she didn’t dare risk waking Dia, who could get astonishingly grumpy when woken, and bitterly jealous whenever she came upon Kanan and Mari making love without her.

Mari at last agreed to retire to bed with her partners, so Kanan led her there, and they found Dia sitting up and looking ready to leave the bed with Dolphy when they arrived. She slowly lowered herself back down as Kanan and Mari climbed in, and Kanan gave her a peck on the cheek.

“What’s wrong, Dia?” she asked.

“I got cold,” Dia replied, and promptly snuggled herself into Kanan’s warmth. She raised her head again when she caught the sharp scent of the burnt cookies. “And what’s that smell…?”

“Never mind,” Mari sighed, and pressed herself up against Kanan’s other side. Kanan was content to be sandwiched between her girlfriends, and the cozy heat coupled with the late hour soon had her dozing. Mari waited until both her partners’ breathing had slowed and deepened, and they no longer stirred or muttered, before creeping back into the living area. There were still a few more things to be done.

She dragged her box of bonus Christmas decorations from the tight closet tucked right beside the bathroom, and set about dressing up the living room without waking her lovers. She wrapped the tree in a gold tinsel garland, hung candy canes from its branches, and set the lights to a dazzling flash pattern. Next, she took the gifts for Kanan and Dia, which she’d so cleverly hidden in the bottom of her box of decorations, wrapped each one with love in shiny paper, and placed them beneath the tree for them to find come morning.

When she was done, Mari stepped back and admired her work. She made a mighty fine Santa Claus, if she did say so herself; the room was looking just perfect for Christmas morning, with the presents arranged cutely and the tree all prettied up. She knew that Kanan wasn’t really one for all the festivities, even in childhood, but she was determined to make it a special first-Christmas-together, as she was once determined to demonstrate Santa’s existence to her little friend. Time and maturity proved Kanan to be correct about the existence of a literal Santa Claus, but Mari knew that there was still magic to be found in the holiday, not through a jolly old elf, but in the spirit of giving and the warmth of togetherness.

Mari tiptoed back to the room, where Kanan and Dia were still cuddled close and fast asleep, and she couldn’t help but smile at the sweetness of it. Their childhood sleeping arrangement persisted – cuddly Kanan all snug between Dia and Mari – but now their bed had grown to accommodate all three without quite so much squeezing. On a cold winter night like Christmas Eve, though, Mari didn’t mind a little extra closeness.

After all, yet one other thing persisted from their younger days, and that was that, as Grandpa once noted, Mari and Kanan and Dia went together like three little peas in a pod (or bananas in a bunch), and no matter where life took them, young or old, together or apart, that was a fact unlikely to ever change.


End file.
